Method for use in heel and heel-seat construction.



B. B. PUCKETT & H. R. ABBOTT.

METHOD FOR USE IN HEELAND HEEL SEAT CONSTRUCTION.

APPLlcAHoN HLED 11111.12. 1916.

L23 11 789. Pam-ed July 3, 1917.

STATE@ PATENT ROBERT B. PUCKETT AND HARRY R. ABBOTT, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

METHOD FOR USE IN HEEL AND HEEL-SEAT CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed January 12, 1916.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, ROBERT B. PUCKETT and HARRY R. ABBOTT, citizens of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods for Use in Heels and Heel-Seat Construction, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the manufacture of shoes, and has for its general object to prov-ide a novel procedure whereby a portion of the leather of the outer sole is cut outand utilized as the top lift for a heel, the space caused by cutting the lift from the outer sole is filled in by a lift or ller, of cheaper material, or construction than the leather of the lift cut from the sole, and a heel, preferably carrying said lift or filler, is secured to the heelseat portion of the sole and correctly positioned thereon with the lift or filler occupying the cut-out space of the outer sole.

As is well-known, outer' soles consist of an integral piece of leather, usually of the highest grade, and constituting an important item in the cost of the shoe. Aside from its marginal part where it is attached to the upper on the one hand, and has the heel attached to it, on the other, the heelseat portion of the outer sole has no other function than that of a filler. It is obvious that such function can be as well fulfilled by a material cheaper than leather, or by a lift of cheaper construction than a whole leather lift, and hence We have conceived the idea of cutting` from the heel-seat portion of each outer sole a lift, and of securing to the heel a filler or tenon, which may be a pieced lift, or a lift or filling of leatherboard, wood, cork, pate, or any other suitable cheap and durable material, to occupy the space made by cutting the lift from the outer sole. As the heel-seat portion of the outer sole is not subjected to wear the eiiiciency and durability of the shoe are not in any manner impaired by proceeding as described, and we are enabled to get from each outer sole a leather top lift, and thus save the cost which would be involved in securing such top lift from another source.

vWhile the idea of effecting economy in the manufacture of shoes by using a lift cut from the outer sole as a top lift has heretofore been suggested, the methods disclosed for edecting such economy have ap- Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 319117..

serial No. 71,619.

parently'proved wholly inefficient, and we believe largely duc to the fact that it has always been attempted to cut the lift from the sole before thc latter was attached toV the shoe. XVe have found that it is practically impossible to so locate the hole in an unsecured sole made by the cut-out lift, that a heel carrying a filler can be correctly positioned on the heel-seat portion of the sole after the latter is secured to the upper and have the ller correctly fit the space left by the cut-out lift, due to the fact that in securing the sole to the upper the position of the cut-out space relative to the heel-seat portion of the upper will be caused vto vary so greatly that there can be no assurance that the filler on the heel will register with the opening` in the sole.

Our invention overcomes this objection by reason of the fact that we first secure the sole to the upper, thereby permanently iiX ing the position of the heel-scat portion of the sole relative to the upper, and then cnt the lift from such heel-seat portion of the upper. The position of the space formed by cutting out the lift can then be located with practically absolute accuracy.

In order to make our method clear we refer to the laccompanying drawing, in which- Figure l illustrates a bottom plan view of a shoe Lipper having an outer sole secured thereto;

F ig. 2 is a similar view, but showing the outer sole as it appears after a lift has been cut from the heel-seat portion thereof;

F ig. 3 is a perspective view of a heel having secured on its upper side a tenen or liller of cheap material or construction, for occupying the space in the outer sole made by cutting a lift therefrom; and

Fig. 4L is a longitudinal sectional view through the lower portion of a shoe constructed according to our invention, showing a heel secured in position on the outer sole, and a filler or tenen carried by the heel occupying the space in the outer sole made by cutting a lift therefrom.

Referring now to the drawing, we pref erably proceed by first securing the outer sole l to the upper and then cutting a lift from the heel-seat portion thereof, leaving an opening 2 in such heel-seat portion We next secure a heel 3 having a tenen, 'or filler,

et, of the character described, secured to its upper' side, in position on the heelseat portion of the outer sole, with said tenen or iiller substantially occupying the space made by cutting out thelift from said outer sole. Preferably, to avoid the necessity of absolute accuracy in positioning the cut for the lift, on the one hand, and the location of the tenon or filler '-l 'on the heehon the other, We make said tenen or iiller of soinewhat less dimensions than those of the opening 2 so as to perinit the proper adjustment of the heel to the correct position on 4the outer sole. v I l i We find it convenient to attach the lfiller or tenon l to the heel before the latter is seam-ed to the outer sole, but it is obvious that said filler or tenen 'could Abe applied at a different stage ot' the operation, or, in other Words, separately 'from the application o'l the heel to the outer sole.

7e claim:

In the manu-facture of shoes, the method which consists in first securing a leather outer sole Ato airupper, whereby to perinancntly position the heel-seat portion of the outer sole'rela'tive to thecorresponding portion of the upper, then cutting a lift from the heel-,seat'portion of said secured sole, and finally securing to the portion of said outer sole surrounding the opening thus made a heel carrying a Afiller having substantially the shape of said opening and the thickness of said "outer "sole and being adapted to occupy the opening in the'outer sole caused by cutting the lift there]from,v

nt'estiinony whereof, We have Lher'iinto set lour hands.

ROBERT B. PCKBTT. HARRY B. ABBOTT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ive cntsech, by addressing the CommissionerbffE'at'ntg Washington, ID. C. 

